Synthetic suede fabrics

ABSTRACT

The disclosure describes synthetic, leathery suede-like fabrics comprising a substrate and a fiber flock surface wherein the flock fibers have a coating of an abraded polymer thereon. A process for preparing these suedes is disclosed. Such synthetic suedes have improved properties over natural suedes including washability and they can be prepared in a variety of sizes and colors.

[ Dec. 4, 1973 [54] SYNTHETIC SUEDE FABRICS 3,238,055 3/1966 Brightwell117 1355 3,514,307 5 1970 Hallenbe [75] Inventor spananburg 3,573,1213i1971 Fukada e t al. 117 5 5 73 Assigneez nearing Mimken Research3,514,307 5/1970 Hallenbeck 117/8 Corporation, Spartanburg, SC. PrimaryExaminerWilliam D. Marvin [22] Flled: 1971 Assistant ExaminerWilliam R.Trenor [21] APP] 3 2 Attorney-Norman C. Armitage, H. William Petry andArmand P. Boisselle [52] US. Cl 1117/11, 117/28, 117/63,

1l7/135.5, 264/48 [57] ABSTRACT 511 1m. 01. .13440 1 44, D06n 3/00fiescflbes synthetlc leathery Suede-Ike 58 Field of Search 117/28, 63,135.51 fabncs Compnsmg Substrate and a fiber flock Surface 117 /8 1 1;264/48 wherein the flock fibers have a coating of an abraded polymerthereon. A process for preparing these suedes [56] References Cited isdisclosed. Such synthetic suedes have improved UNITED STATES PATENTSproperties over natural suedes including washability and they can beprepared in a variety of sizes and col- 3,496,00l 2/1970 Minobe et a]ll7/135.5 3,067,482 12/1962 Hollowell 117/l35.5 3,387,989 6/1968 West eta1 117/135.5 10 Claims, N0 Drawings SYN'lllI-lllETiC SUEDE FABRMISBACKGROUND OF INVENTION This invention relates to a process forpreparing synthetic, leathery, suede-like fabric materials from flockedfabrics, and more particularly, to a process whereby the flocked fabricsare coated with an abradable polymeric coating composition andthereafter abraded.

Natural leather suedes have presented problems to the suede industry formany years. Like most natural products, the properties vary from pieceto piece. It is difficult to continually produce suedes having uniformquality, and the size of pieces obtainable is, of course, limited to thesize of the animals from which the skins are obtained. Soft leatherysuedes obtained from natural sources are difficult to obtain in stablelight and pastel colors. One of the major difficulties with naturalsuedes is their poor washability. This is especially important sincesuedes are easily soiled. Dry cleaning or washing of natural suedesgenerally results in removal of the natural oils which results instiffening and drying requiring re-oiling of the suedes which isdifficult and expensive.

For these reasons, the use of suedes in many applications has beenlimited, especially where the suede is used in combination with otherfabrics and garments which have the desirable properties of washability,dry cleanability, color fastness, etc.

Attempts have been made to produce man-made soft suedes which overcomethese limitations while retaining the desirable aesthetic and drapequalities. One such attempt involves treating woven or non-woven fabricswith an adhesive base and thereafter embedding flocked fibers into theadhesive. Such flocked fabrics, however, are a poor imitation of naturalsuede since they do not exhibit the same aesthetics. Some are inferiorin abrasion resistance.

Several methods of making synthetic suedes have been utilized. Onemethod is to coat a flexible backing, preferably a textile fabric, witha polymeric compound to which has been added with other ingredients, asufficient amount of flock fibers so that upon abrading the surface, asuede-like texture is produced. In another process, rather thanincorporating flock fibers into the polymeric compound, the textilefabric is napped to raise fibers and thereafter the nap fabrics arecoated with the polymeric compound and subsequently abraded.

Another known process involves the steps of (l) coating the surface of aflexible substrate with a layer of a polymeric solution; (2) coagulatingthe polymeric composition to form a cellular layer by bathing the coatedsheet in a liquid which is a non-solvent for the polymeric component andwhich is miscible with the solution solvent; (3) removing substantiallyall of the solvent from the sheet material; and (4) abrading the surfaceof the cellular layer to form a suede-like finish. U.S. Pat. No.3,429,727 is directed to an improvement in this process in whichadditional steps are performed before step (4). These additional stepsare reducing the non'solvent content of the sheet material to less than90 percent by weight; applying a back-coating composition to theuncoated side of the porous substrate and drying the backcoatingcomposition. An essential feature of both of these processes is the useof a coagulable polymeric component to form porous cellular structuresto produce the suede effect.

Another method previously suggested is to dust the surface of apolymeric coating with a relatively coarse grade of a water-solublesalt. After curing, the salt is removed from the polymer surface bywashing to yield a suede-like finish.

In U.S. Pat. No. 3,549,398, a refinement of the above process has beenproposed. The process involves applying elastomeric polymeric coatingsto flexible substrates, where the polymeric coatings have incorporatedtherein finely divided particles of a solid substance which is insolublein the polymeric coating. The coating is cured and then subjected to astream of high velocity abrasive particles to produce a suede-likefinish. The finely divided particles in the coating are preferrablydecomposable, volatile, or soluble in at least one solvent in which thepolymeric coating is not soluble, so that said particles can be removedfrom the sueded material thereby resulting in a water-vapor permeablesynthetic suede-like product. However, this process, like the aboveprocesses, involves the application of a thick coating of polymer andthe subsequent removal of a substantial portion of that coating.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Synthetic, leathery, suede-like fabrics can beprepared from a flocked fabric which comprises a substrate and a fiberflocked surface, by a process comprising the steps of (a) coating thefiber flock with an abradable polymeric coating composition whilesubstantially retaining the integrity of the fibers, and (b) abradingthe coated fibers to reduce polymer aggregates and fiber-to-fiberbonding, and to impart to the fibers a soft leathery suede finish.Synthetic suede fabrics prepared in this manner have the handle anddrapability of natural suede and, depending upon the particularpolymeric composition utilized in the process, ad ditional desirableproperties such as washability, dry-cleanability, abrasion resistance,etc. Such fabrics have the aesthetic requirements for manufacturingclothing such as coats and jackets, upholstery fabrics, hand bags, shoesand trim for dresses and coats, and may be made available in a varietyof colors.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The suede-like fabrics of thisinvention are prepared from flocked fabrics. Processes for preparingflocked pile fabrics are well-known in the art and need not be describedin detail in this application. Briefly, a substrate or backing materialis provided, and the material which may be any material conventionallyemployed in flocking operations such as for instance, jute, cotton,paper, rubber sheeting, plastics, woven fabrics, knitted fabrics, andnon-woven fabrics including felts of natural and synthetic fibers andfilaments is coated on at least one side with the adhesive. A pluralityof flock fibers are then distributed onto the adhesive layer andoriented in such position that one end portion of each of said fibers isembedded in the adhesive layer. The nature of the orientation of thefibers is dependent upon the type of flocked fiber distribution meansemployed and these include spraying or mechanical or electrostaticmethods. The most uniform orientation of the flocked fibers is acquiredthrough a combination of the mechanical and electrostatic methodswherein a relatively high percentage of the fibers assumes a positionsubstantially perpendicular to the plane of the substrate with one endportion embedded in the adhesive layer.

Any type of fiber which is normally employed in flocking operations,either natural or synthetic, may be utilized, but best results areacquired through the use of fibers with an overall length of up to about0.030 to 0.050 inch or more depending upon the end use of the product,though the fiber should not be so long as to break during the abradingprocess. It is preferrable to use low denier fibers to obtain the bestaesthetics. Fiber deniers of about 1.5 have been found to beparticularly useful although higher or lower deniers can be useddepending on the end use of the product. Particularly preferred fibersare the natural fibers such as cotton and wool, and synthetic fiberssuch as rayon, nylon, polyesters and polyacrylics. Rayon fibers have asoft hand and are relatively inexpensive but suffer the disadvantage ofbeing easily abraded. On the other hand, the polyamides, polyesters andpolyacrylics have good resistance to abrasion but are more expensive.

The amount of adhesive applied to the substrate should be sufficientlythick to embed the fibers and obtain good adhesion desired therein. Anadhesive thickness of up to about to mils dry has been found acceptable.The adhesive may be applied to the substrate as an aqueous emulsion orin an organic solvent either in one application or in two separateapplications. In the two application procedures, the first coating isapplied as a more viscous mixture in order to provide a coating with aminimum of strike-through. This is followed by a second coating to whichthe fibers adhere and which may be of a lower viscosity sincestrikethrough should not present a problem.

The adhesives which are useful in preparing flocked fabrics mustmaintain their liquidity and tack for a sufficient period of time toallow embedment of the flock in an oriented position in the adhesive.The adhesive also must have sufficient viscosity to hold the flock inits oriented state prior to and during the drying and/or curing.Examples of adhesives which have been used in preparing flocked fabricinclude latices and solvent 50- lutions of materials such aspolyurethanes, polyacrylates, natural and synthetic rubbers, syntheticpolymers and copolymers of butadiene and isoprene in conjunction withacrylonitrile, styrene, and many other latices. Polyvinyl chlorideplastisols or organosols also can be used as adhesives for preparingflocked fabrics. The choice of a particular adhesive will be determinedby the properties desired in the flocked fabric. For example, thepolyurethanes are particularly useful where the fabric is to besubsequently subjected to dry cleaning. Other properties such asflexibility in the cold, and resistance to washing should be consideredwhen selecting the adhesive.

Once the fibers have been embedded and oriented into the adhesivecoating, the adhesive is solidified to fix the fibers therein. Curing isaccomplished by heating the fiber-impregnated, adhesive-coatedsubstrate. The temperature of the curing will depend upon the particularadhesive utilized and, also, on the desired rate. For example, when theflocked fabric is prepared in a continuous apparatus, shorter curingtimes are desirable and higher temperatures are therefore utilized.

The polymeric coating which is applied to the flocked fabric must be onethat is abradable. That is,

the coating must be one which allows for the separation of the coatedfibers from one another without tearing and breaking of the fibers, andit must be possible to remove the gloss and roughen or abrade thesurface of the coating without stripping it from the fibers. Forexample, uncompounded natural rubber is not a satisfactory coatingbecause it has a high degree of stretch and will not permit ready andpractical separation of the fibers. Examples of useful polymers includethe crosslinked or cured abradable polymers: polyurethanes,polyacrylates, polyamides, polyolefins, polyepoxy resins and thepolyepoxy amide resins. Mixtures of the above resins can be utilized.The resins are applied to the flocked fabric as solutions in solventswhich preferably are poor or non-solvents for the flock fibers. Examplesof such solvents for cured polyurethane systems include dimethylformamide, diethyl formamide, dimethyl acetamide and dimethyl sulfoxide.Other solvents such as ketones, chlorinated hydrocarbons, aromatichydrocarbons and ester type solvents such as cellosolve acetate andbutyl lactate can be used with other resins.

The polyurethane polymers useful in the invention are those havingmolecular weights of from 5,000 to 300,000 formed by reacting andorganic diisocyanate with an active hydrogen-containing material such aspolyalkylene ether glycols and hydroxy terminated polyesters to formisocyanate terminated polyurethane prepolymers which can be cross-linkedor cured with known agents such as compounds having at least two aminonitrogen atoms each having at least one reactive hydrogen atom.Alternatively, the active hydrogen compound, organic diisocyanate andchain extender can be reacted in one shot to form the desired polymer.

In the preparation of polyester-urethane elastomers, there preferablyare used hydroxy-terminated polyesters prepared by polycondensation ofan aliphatic dicarboxylic acid and a molar excess of an aliphaticglyco], and those prepared by ring-opening polymerization of a cyclicester in the presence of a difunctional compound as an initiator. Thepolyesters obtainable by polycondensation of an aliphatic dicarboxylicacid and an aliphatic glycol are exemplified by those obtained byreaction between adipic acid, sebacic acid, maleic acid and otherdicarboxylic acids with ethylene-glycol, 1,2- propylene glycol,1,4-butylene glycol, 1,3-butylene glycol, etc. Examples of thepolyesters prepared by polymerization of cyclic esters are thoseprepared from epsilon-caprolactone, delta-methyl-epsilon-caprolactoneand ,B-propiolactone in the presence of an initiator such as, forexample, 1,4-butylene glycol, ethylene glycol or diethylene glycol.

The polyalkylene ether urethanes are those prepared by reacting theisocyanates with polymeric polyhydroxy compounds which include polyetherpolyols such as polyalkylene ether glycols, polyalkylene aryleneether-thioether glycols and polyalkylene ether triols. The polyalkyleneether glycols and triols are preferred and these include glycols havingthe formula HO(- RO),,l-l wherein R is an alkylene radical which neednot necessarily be the same in each instance, and n is an integer.Representative glycols include polyethylene ether glycol, polypropyleneether glycol and polytetramethylene ether glycol. Representativepolyalkylene ether triols are made by reacting one or more alkyleneoxides with one or more low molecular weight aliphatic triols. Thealkylene oxides most commonly used have molecular weights between about44 and 250 and these include ethylene oxide, propylene oxides, butyleneoxides, l,2-epoxybutane and 2,3-epoxybutane. The ethylene, propylene andbutylene oxides are preferred. The aliphatic triols most commonly usedhave molecular weights between about 92 and 250. Examples includeglycerol, 1,2,6-hexane triol and l,1,l-trimethylol propane.

Representative examples of the polyalkylene ether triols include:polypropylene ether triol (molecular weight 700) made by reacting 608parts of 1,2- propylene oxide with 92 parts of glycerin; andpolypropylene ether triol (molecular weight 6,000) made by reacting5,866 parts of l,2-propylene oxide with 132 parts of 1,2,6-hexane triol.7

Other active hydrogen-containing compounds which can be reacted withpolyisocyanates to form urethanes useful in the coating compositions ofthe invention are long-chain polymers containing at least two groupshaving at least one active hydrogen atom as determined by theZerewitinoff method. Examples of such compounds include in addition tothe polyesters and polymeric polyhydroxy compounds described above,polyamides, polyepoxides, reaction products of phenols and alkyleneoxides, formaldehyde resins, hydrogenation products of olefin-carbonmonoxide copolymers and polyepihalohydrins.

The polyepoxides used with this invention are organic compounds havingat least two epoxy groups per molecule. They may be saturated orunsaturated aliphatic, cycloaliphatic, aromatic or heterocyclic and maybe substituted with non-interfering substituents such as hydroxylgroups, ether radicals, etc. Polyepoxides containing ether groups,generally designated as polyepoxide polyethers, may be prepared as iswell known by reacting a polyol with a halogen-containing epoxide usingat least two moles of the halogencontaining epoxide per mole of polyol.The reaction of epichlorohydrin with a polyhydric phenol in an alkalinemedium is an example of the'preparation of such a product.

The polyamides useful as such or in the preparation of the urethanes arethose derived from polyamines and polybasic acids. Methods for preparingthese polyamides by condensation are well known in the art. Usefulpolyamines include ethylene diamine, diethylene triamine and triethylenetetramine. Typical carboxylic acids which may be condensed withpolyarnines are glutaric acid, adipic acid, pimelic acid, sebacic acid,isophthalic acid and terephthalic acid.

Condensation products of phenols and an alkylene oxide which may be usedinclude the condensation product of cresol or4,4'-isopropylidene-diphenol with one or more of the above-mentionedalkylene oxides. Any suitable formaldehyde resin may be used such as,for example, the condensation product of formaldehyde with thecondensation products of alkylene oxides to prepare polyoxymethylenecompounds having terminal hydroxyl groups. The suitable hydrogenationproducts of olefin-carbon monoxide copolymers which may be utilized aredisclosed in US. Pat. Nos. 2,839,478 and 2,495,292.

Among the suitable isocyanates that may be used in the preparation ofthe polyurethanes are included aryl diisocyanates such as 2,4-toluenediisocyanate, 2,6- toluene diisocyanate, 1,5-napthylene diisocyanate andxylylene-1,4-diisocyanate; alicyclic diisocyanates such asdicyclohexamethane-4,4'-diisocyanate; alkylene diisocyanate such astetramethylene diisocyanate and hexamethylene diisocyanate; as well asmixtures thereof and including the equivalent isothiocyanates.

Chain extenders utilized in the preparation of the urethanes aresubstantially difunctional or polyfunctional active hydrogen-containingcompounds such as ethylene glycol, l,2-propylene glycol, neopentylglycol, dipropylene glycol, hydrazine, ethylene diarnine,N,N,N,N'-tetrakis (dihydroxy propyl) ethylene diamine, etc.

The above described abradable polymers are applied to the flock fabricin solutions, and the solutions may have incorporated therein curingagents, pigments, plasticizers, stabilizers, antioxidants, and otherconventional compounding ingredients which are compatible with thepolymer and the solvent.

The polymer solution can be applied to the flock fibers of the fabric byspraying, kiss-coating, transfer coating, etc. A sufficient amount ofthe solution is applied to the substrate to provide a solids pickup ofup to about 12 percent by weight based on the weight of the flockedfabric and preferably from about 5 to 9 percent. The method ofapplication should be such that most of the polymer is deposited on theflock fibers. The viscosity of the solution should be low enough topermit coating of the individual fiber flock hereby the integrity of thefibers substantially is retained. The coated flocked fabric isthereafter dried at a temperature ranging from room temperature to about250F. or higher. The higher temperatures can be utilized where thepolymeric coating is a latex or a water dispersion. When solutions ordispersion of blocked urethane prepolymers are utilized, the highertemperatures are necessary to unblock the urethane for further reaction.When cross-linked polyurethanes are used in solution, a temperature ofabout C or higher is preferred to inhibit condensation of water from theair onto the film which can be objectionable in some instances.

A subsequent step in the preparation of the suedelike fabrics of theinvention involves abrading the coated fiber flock to reduce the numberof polymer aggregates and any fiber-to-fiber bonding that may be presentand to break up the surface of the coating on the fibers to impart tothe fibers a soft leathery suede finish. If the coated fibers are nottreated in this manner, the fibers have a relatively hard, smoothsurface skin which does not have the desired suede-like hand orappearance. The abrasion of the coating is effected by buffing orgrinding the coating with, for example, sandpaper, emery cloth or wirebrushes until the desired aesthetic effect is obtained. The desiredeffect can also be obtained by subjecting the coated flocked fabrics tothe abrasive action of high velocity abrasive particles. Such techniquesare commonly referred to as sand-blasting utilizing well-known abrasivesubstances which include various metal, vegetable matter and inorganiccompounds. A preferred abrasive-is aluminum oxide on a substratebacking. As a result of the abrasive action of the variousabove-described abrasives, the

coating on the fibers is not smooth and the fibers tend to clingtogether when rubbed with the fingers. This tendency to cling togetheris an important characteristic that contributes to the leathery suedefeeling of the product.

After abrading the coating on the fibers, the fabric material of thisinvention can be scrubbed with water or vacuumed to remove dust whichhas accumulated from the abrasion of the coating. Additional desirableproperties can be imparted to the product by treating the abraded fabricmaterial with oil, stain and water repellent chemicals, softeners toimprove the handle such as cross-linkable polymeric silicones, polymericplasticizers, various waxes and wax-like materials such as stearic acid,oily plasticizers such as the polyesters, mineral oils, castor oil, etc.It is possible, of course, to incorporate some of these additives intothe coating composition before it is applied to the flocked fabrics. Thechoice of the particular method utilized will depend in part on thecompatibility of the supplementary additives in the polymer solution oftheir incompatability in the final polymer coating.

It has been found that it is possible, and in many instances preferrableto utilize undyed flocked fabrics coat the fiber flock with theabradable polymer, abrade the coating and thereafter dye the abradedproduct with a dye which is suitable for dyeing the coating and fiberflock. Unusual results can be obtained by dyeing either the coating orthe fiber alone. One of the advantages of dyeing after abrading is thatmore uniform and brigher colors may be obtained.

The following examples illustrate the process and the product of thisinvention. Unless otherwise indicated all parts and percentages are byweight.

EXAMPLE I A solution of a polyurethane elastomer is prepared by firstmixing 228 parts of polytetramethylene ether glycol of about 1,000molecular weight with 20 parts of toluene-2,4-diisocyanate and heatingthe mixture for three hours at 90C. This dimer (248 parts) is mixed with57 parts of methylene-bis-(4-phenyl isocyanate) and heated for one hourat 80C. to form a prepolymer with isocyanate end groups. The prepolymeris dissolved in 1,000 parts of N-N-dimethyl formamide, and the resultingsolution is added slowly with stirring to a solution consisting of 5parts of a chain extender dissolved in l7l parts of dimethyl formamide.The chain extender consists of N-methyl amino-bis-propyl amine andhydrazine hydrate in a molar ratio of.4:6. The reaction mixture isstirred at 40C. for 30 minutes to form a polyurethane solution having aviscosity of about 1 l5 poises and a polymer solids content of about 20percent.

The flocked fabric utilized in this example is a 60 in. width rayonsateen substrate (1.43 yards/pound) flocked with l.5 denier, semi-dullrandom 0.03 inch cut length rayon fibers utilizing an acrylic adhesive.This fabric is sprayed with the urethane polymer solution diluted toabout 10 percent solids to provide a solids pickup on the flockedfabric, after drying, of6 percent. The fabric is dried for about 10minutes at l 10C. and allowed to set overnight at ordinary temperatures.

The flocked fabrics coated in this manner contain a few polymeraggregates which tie the fibers into clusters and a minor amount offiber-to-fiber bonding. In order to remove the polymer aggregates andreduce the fiber-to-fiber bonding, the coated flocked fabric is brushedwith coarse sandpaper (No. 80) to remove excessive surface polymers. Thecoated fabric abraded in this manner exhibits a satisfactory leatheryhand and resembles suede fabric. It is washable and dry clean able.

EXAMPLE 2 The procedure of Example I is repeated except that thepolyurethane utilized is a commercially available Warcoflex 4667 LF (apolyester urethane available from Sun Chemical Company as a 35 percentsolution in dimethyl formamide) diluted to 10 percent by weight tofacilitate the spraying and to obtain better wetting of the fibers andpenetration between them. In this example, the flocked fabric is piecedyed prior to the polymer treatment and the amount of polymer applied isabout 8.5 percent on the weight of the fabric. The product exhibits asatisfactory leathery hand and resembles suede fabric. lts abrasionresistance is improved over the original flock fabric.

EXAMPLE 3 The procedure of Example 2 is repeated except that thepolyurethane solution is further diluted to 7 percent and kiss-coatedonto the fabric using an applicator roll to provide a solids pickup of8.5 percent based on the weight of the fabric. The coated fabric isdried with the flock fibers extended downward. After abrading thecoating with aluminum oxide abrasive on a flexible backing, the fabricis vacuumed to remove polymer dust and treated with a silicone toimprove the handle of the suede-like fabric produced.

The suede-like fabrics prepared in accordance with the process of thisinvention are useful as upholstery fabrics and in the production ofwearing apparel. The synthetic suedes have several advantages overnatural suedes since they can be prepared in a variety of colors, areoil and moisture resistant and are washable and/or dry cleanable.Accordingly, the suede may be utilized as trim fabrics for washable anddry-cleanable wearing apparel.

That which is claimed is:

1. A process for preparing a synthetic, leathery, suede-like fabricmaterial from a flocked fabric comprising the steps of a. coating thefibers of the flocked fabric with an abradable polymeric coatingcomposition to provide a solids pickup between about 5 and 9 percentbased on the weight of the fabric while substantially retaining theintegrity of the fibers, and

b. drying and heating the applied coating to obtain a solid coating ofthe abradable polymer on the flocked fibers, and

c. abrading the coated fibers to reduce polymer aggregates andfiber-to-fiber bonding, and to impart to the fibers a soft leatherysuede finish.

2. The process of claim 1 wherein the flocked fabric is a textilefabric.

3. The process of claim 2 wherein the fibers of the flocked fabric aresynthetic fibers.

4. The process of claim 2 wherein the textile fabric is a woven textilefabric.

5. The process of claim 3 wherein the fibers of the flocked fabric arerayon.

6. The process of claim 1 wherein the polymer coating composition is asolution or an emulsion consisting essentially of an abradable polymeror prepolymer and a polymerization catalyst or coreactant.

7. The process of claim 6 wherein the abradable polymeric coatingcomposition is a polyurethane, polyacrylate, polyamide, or an epoxycomposition.

8. The process of claim 7 wherein the polymeric thane in an organicsolvent.

coating composition is a cross-linked urethane poly- 10. The process ofclaim 8 wherein the crganic SOL mer.

9. The process of claim 8 wherein the polymeric vent ls (methylformamlde' coating composition is a solution of a cross-linked ure-

2. The process of claim 1 wherein the flocKed fabric is a textilefabric.
 3. The process of claim 2 wherein the fibers of the flockedfabric are synthetic fibers.
 4. The process of claim 2 wherein thetextile fabric is a woven textile fabric.
 5. The process of claim 3wherein the fibers of the flocked fabric are rayon.
 6. The process ofclaim 1 wherein the polymer coating composition is a solution or anemulsion consisting essentially of an abradable polymer or prepolymerand a polymerization catalyst or coreactant.
 7. The process of claim 6wherein the abradable polymeric coating composition is a polyurethane,polyacrylate, polyamide, or an epoxy composition.
 8. The process ofclaim 7 wherein the polymeric coating composition is a cross-linkedurethane polymer.
 9. The process of claim 8 wherein the polymericcoating composition is a solution of a cross-linked urethane in anorganic solvent.
 10. The process of claim 8 wherein the organic solventis dimethyl formamide.